Muslim refugees desecrate Belgian churches

Brussels, Belgium, May 9, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Illegal immigrants have taken refuge in some Belgian churches and, according to the conservative Brussels Journal, these churches “are being turned into mosques before [the bishops'] very eyes.”

A recent report in the journal indicates that t he Belgian bishops have opened their churches and offered sanctuary to illegal immigrants in order to pressurize the Belgian authorities to allow them to stay in the country.

Most of these illegal immigrants are Muslim, and the Brussels Journal accused the bishops of being “ignorant” to the fact that these immigrants are desecrating the churches.

According to the Belgian publication, the squatters live in tents in the churches. Catholic relief organizations provided the tents and offered radios, television sets and computers. They hold Islamic prayer services in the church and display banners showing the name of Allah. They have also moved the altar and covered the face of a statue of Our Lady with a cloth.

The journal documented these facts with photos and claim that the arrangements have existed for a number of years already.